Posts by Stephanie Irvin
Tesla invites select few to Texas robotaxi trial with front seat safety monitors
[SAN FRANCISCO] Tesla has sent out invitations to a small group of people to join the limited test of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, which is tentatively set to start on Sunday (Jun 22), according to posts and e-mail screenshots on social media. The invitations said a Tesla employee will accompany riders in the…
Read MoreMeta discussed buying Perplexity before investing in Scale
[LOS ANGELES] Meta Platforms held discussions with artificial intelligence (AI) search startup Perplexity AI about a possible takeover before moving ahead with a multibillion-dollar investment in Scale AI, according to sources familiar with the matter. The two companies could not come to an agreement and decided not to pursue the deal, said the sources, who…
Read MoreInvestors eye infrastructure sector for diversification and to ride demand
[SINGAPORE] The infrastructure sector is piquing investor interest, given that data centres and the growing number of electric vehicles are consumers of energy, and will drive the demand for power-generation facilities. Based on a global investor sentiment survey by data platform Preqin, the share of investors planning to commit more capital to the asset class…
Read MoreThailand’s Gas Gamble: How Policy Missteps and Private Gains Drive Up Power Bills
In a nation where more than two-thirds of electricity is generated by gas-fired plants, Thailand’s deepening reliance on expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports is not just an energy strategy—it’s a growing burden on its people. As global LNG prices spike and domestic gas output dwindles, questions are mounting over whether energy policy mismanagement and…
Read MoreUS: Wall St indexes open higher with Trump’s Middle East decision in focus
Published Fri, Jun 20, 2025 · 09:49 PM [NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened higher on Friday (Jun 20), tracking strength in global stocks after President Donald Trump held off from making an immediate call on US involvement in the Israel-Iran war. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 119.4 points, or 0.28 per cent,…
Read MoreChina’s Baidu eyes robotaxi expansion to Singapore and Malaysia
The development comes as Tesla prepares to launch its Cybercab robotaxi network within days Published Fri, Jun 20, 2025 · 08:45 PM [BEIJING] Baidu is planning to launch its Apollo Go robotaxi service in Singapore and Malaysia as early as this year, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the company continues to…
Read MoreGold heads for weekly fall as fewer Fed rate cut prospects weigh
GOLD prices fell on Friday and were on track for a weekly decline, as an overall stronger dollar and the prospect of fewer US interest rate cuts offset support from rising geopolitical risks in the Middle East. Spot gold slipped 0.5 per cent to US$3,355.49 an ounce, as of 0245 GMT, and was down 2.2 per cent…
Read MoreHSBC names new head of wealth and premier solutions for Singapore
[SINGAPORE] HSBC announced on Friday (Jun 20) that it has appointed Ishan Sarkar as the bank’s new head of wealth and premier solutions (WPS). He will be based in Singapore and assume the new role on Jul 1. Sarkar will report to Ashmita Acharya, head of international wealth and premier banking at HSBC Singapore, and…
Read MoreAir India warned for flying Airbus planes with unchecked escape slides
[NEW DELHI] India’s aviation regulator has warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue checks on emergency equipment, and for being slow to address the issue, government documents show. The warning notices and an investigation report – both reviewed by Reuters – were not in any…
Read MoreHow Pop Mart’s Labubu became a monster of a business
LABUBU is a little doll in fleecy, bunny-eared onesies whose coffee-bean eyes hover above a smile lined by a row of serrated teeth. Ostensibly an elf, the creature is either cute or creepy, depending on whom you ask. But one thing is clear – it has become a monster of a business. The dolls have…
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